Neeya Naana: English- the way we use

20th Sep 2009:

I missed the introduction part of this episode. The subject of this episode is to discuss about the way we use English in our day today life. Are we using English in appropriate places to appropriate persons? Are we misusing it against those who really don't use English in their day to day life? Is it really worth it or is really needed?

Side A: We misuse English to the commoners; unnecessarily using English to show the hep in us; we are trying to ape west

Side B: We are least bothered whether we misuse of not; and so be it, we are gaining out of it.

The views placed by Side A:

~While speaking Tamizh with friends, suddenly we start speaking in English when we meet someone whom we are damn sure that they too know Tamizh. For e.g. to the friends என்னடி மாதுளை ஜூஸ் குடிக்கலாமா? and to the shop keeper "one pomegranate juice please"
~Speaking English even to the less educated people such as door keeper, billing person in grocery shop, labourers, security guards etc
~Looking down at someone who cannot speak English properly
~Speaking with an air and showing off as if they were of high class

The Views placed by Side B:

~We get a kind of satisfaction and bring in confidence when we speak in English
~We use it as a weapon to have a upper hand in a conversation
~We get attention and get things done in a short time

The counter Views placed by Side A for Side B's views:

~The satisfaction or confidence should be accepted if they were spoken amongst those who are equally educated / professionals
~If they are using it as a weapon then what is the difference between the ruffians and these people-only thing is the weapon is different but the intent is no different.
~One should question their character if they would take other person's ignorance as an advantage
~If they get hurt / get injured if someone throws stone at them, would they be crying ஐயோ அம்மா or "Oh my god" / "ouch"

The counter views placed by Side B for Side A's Views:

~We use English in our day to day conversation so that we think high and want to get placed high
~ By passage of time, when we regularly converse in English, perhaps we would be crying as oh My my! Ouch! Oh my God! etc

Special Guests' take:

Guest A: Mr. Narsiah, whose mother tounge is Telugu, born and brought up in Tamilnadu, has written many books in Tamizh, well traveled person, a post Vietnam war social worker- says that it is due to Colonial Hang over. He also says that most of the Non-Asian-non-English countries do not speak in English and in fact they feel contempt when we speak to them in English.

Guest B: (I couldn't recollect his name) says his native language is not Tamizh but he could learn it from the common man and he also said that he felt sorry for the Tamilians as many of them do not know the richness of their own language.

My take on the discussion:

Many of them who know me a little would know that to the extent possible, I speak in Tamizh (though I am not good at it). From my personal experience, in most of the time in office, even in some meetings, while other speak in English, i have responded to them in Tamizh (if the whole of the members understand Tamizh). And none has objected it rather i have seen people immediately switching their conversation to Tamizh. Of course, I don't have any native Tamizh speaking female in my team.

I feel pitty for those who speak English to the commoners. Of course I don't mean to say that we have to speak only in Tamizh for many of the proper nouns we do not have equivalent Tamizh words or if used many do not understand. But even for அம்மா அப்பா if we start calling them Mummy and Dady it is ridiculous.

I do agree that one need to improve their English knowledge so as to maintain a statu quo with rest of the colleagues especially when we have team that is cross culture, cross races. But it doesn't mean that one has to speak in English even to the commoners. One should get the maturity of striking a balance between official environment and personal environment.

Confidence should come from the way we carry ourselves and the depth and breath of the knowledge we possess on the subject that we are experts and not by speaking English to the commoners.

Those who speak English to the commoners - How many of them know how to write a proper letter to any Officials? How many of them speak a paragraph without any Grammar mistake? How many of them can write without any spelling mistake (Had MS Word do not have spell check, career of many of them would have been a question mark)- how many of them know where to use commas and where to use semi colons -how many of them know what are the various parts of a speech?

We have to realize that we are not Native speakers of English. As a mater of fact, though i studied in a English Medium school, English was taught in Tamizh. So my English was pathetic until my higher secondary and it got improve a bit during these years.

Though one may feel elated when they speak in English, there is nothing gained when they speak it with commoners or when they speak it even though the situation does not call for it.

By acting ourselves as if we are Brits and Americans and trying to ape them-we miss the richness in both English as well as Tamizh.At the end most of them end up neither being good in Tamizh nor good in English.

Neeya Naana: Introduction

Many of us would be watching Neeya Naana in Vijay TV. Some of the topics are interesting and some might not so interesting. This series of blog would be about those that i happened to watch and those that were interesting. I would be presenting my views and counter views; readers may also present their views or counter views on a given topic.

All the series would have the label "Neeya Naana" and the topic title would also start with the same so that the readers can easily filter it.

Bicycle Expedition: My return

I have returned yesterday after cycling 220kms. My father developed an acute discomfort and we decided it was unwise to continue anymore as his discomfort would then aggravate. We cycled first to Madurantakam 75 Kms away from my house on the first day, then to vizhupuram 84 Kms away from Madurantakam and then to Vadalur 66 Kms away from Vizhupuram. From Vadalur we returned by bus.
All in all, it was a good experience testing our stamina, confidence and perseverance. It also shattered our ego- slept under tree on roadside; took food along with the laborers (idly costs Rs. 2 /-); but for once we did not buy any packaged water bottle and hence we have to ask someone in the houses on our route.

On our route we visited ‘Eri kaatha Ramar kovil’ in Madurantakam, ‘Panakattu Eshwarar’ in Vizhupuram and ‘Vallalar’s Sutha Sanmaarga sangam ‘in Vadalur. We also learnt about existence of very important (very ancient) temples in panruti (which were not listed in internet) but missed to visit those places.

Few things that I noted are (though many of them have noticed it before):

* Everybody have mobile phone- saw some unheard mobile models-Recollected Dr. Ashok Junjunwala’s speech in our company's function Unicode 2009
* Nothing moves without touch of political party. Everybody is associated with some or other political party.
* Lots of usage of English words in normal conversation.

* When we travel by car/bus/bike we miss to note how our city / towns were rotten by pollution-which is very apparent when we commute by some slow moving vehicles such as cycle. In many a places I couldn’t breathe because of the foul odor, especially

- From Madambakkam to Tambaram

- From Tambaram to Guduvanchery

- Singaperumal kovil

- 5 Kms to Thindivanam

That is all the places nearing the city/towns were polluted heavily.

May be our government is doing their best, I don’t know. But what I feel is, unless these are kept clean we are creating a very bad world for our generations to live. May be some trust/ NGO should take such activities and employ some labor to clean such areas. It cannot be done by an individual. It should be done by some group of individual / Government. Lot of awareness campaign is required in this area.

* In the route, every two kilometers, there is a SOS telephone call booth- I was not aware of that earlier. Such SOS phones are on both sides of the road. While appreciating the idea, the one who implemented it could have given little more thought to the idea and make it still more useful. Instead of having SOS phones on both the sides of the road opposite to each other it could have been kept at interval of one km on alternating side of the road. By this, with the same number of instruments, easier access to phone could have been made. After all, one who wants to make a call can always cross the road to use the phone booth.
* Few of the villagers, without any inhibitions, asked us why we were travelling in cycle. Few could appreciate the task and few criticized it. When our objective was clear to us, such criticism did not affect us (I was wondering why I was not hitherto reflecting it in work environment)


Thanks for your support and wishes.

Bicycle Expedition: Starting

Hi Friends,

Today I am starting to the expedition. The time I am posting this, all things are set ready.
Will update the happenings through my wife, who would help me in posting this, whenever i could not reach internet.

See you...

Pray God that the trip should be fine...

Bicycle Expedition: Itinerary

In previous blog, I said, I would disclose my itinerary and here it is...

Day 1: Maturantakam
Day 2: Vizhupuram
Day 3: Srimushnam
Day 4: Kumbakonam
Day 5: Thiruvarur
Day 6: Seerkazhi
Day 7: Thirunallaru
Day 8: Pondicherry
Day 9: Marakkanam
Day 10: Thirukazhukundram
Day 11: Madipakkam (Home sweet Home)

Approximately each point is distancing 60-80 Kms and totals up to 700+ Kms.

We would be starting the journey at 530 / 6 AM depending on the sunlight and cycle up to 4 continuous hours, stopping in between for tea / breakfast and stop by 10-1030 AM by 12:30-13:00, we would be having a lunch and rest for another 1 hours before we start by 14:30 we would once again start to cycle up to 18:00-1830 to reach that day's destination.

Since we have targeted major towns, we would be having some lodge to rest in the night. Probably, I would request my wife to summarize the day's events, as I dictate to her over phone.
I am planning to track the cost of all things we do, so that should someone else try to do cycling, they would be informed.

Many of my friends and colleagues wished me luck; hope the readers would also wish us luck for our safe travel.

Bicycle Expedition: Practice

To have practice, yesterday and today, I have cycled around 50 Kms. Yesterday, early morning, I went for a 10 Kms ride in 1 hour. I was bit scarred about my fitness, so I cycled it bit slow as I don't want to lose my enthusiasm by overdoing it. Then this gave me confidence that I can cycle 10 Kms at a stretch. So I wanted to try once again. I decided to come to office in cycle itself. My office is in Perungudi, which is 10.5 Kms away from my house. This time, too, I clocked it and it took around 40 mins. The wind was calm so it was neither in my favor and nor to my adverse. When I reached the main road, the friction in the road is less and hence it took less time.

I felt thirsty and down poured the rain and drank the rain water. I remembered Chakravagam bird that drinks only rain water.

Today, I bettered yesterday's timing. I reached my office in 35 minutes. I don’t know how many people noticed; today Sun was seen encircled with rays in VIBGYOR. It was beautiful. Unfortunately, many missed it as they were speeding their vehicle.

I am satisfied with my pratice sessions. But still, i would do it for next two days too. Lets see how i am bettering in next two days.

Bicycle Expedition: The preparations

My father and I are going for this expedition. My father already has a old cycle- but thats in good condition. I got a new cycle (Hercules MTB Matrix)last Sunday from BSA GO in Velachery near Guru Nanak College. It costed Rs.3090/-

Initially, I thought i would purchase a geared Bicycle. But then the joy of normal cycle is lost. So i decided to go on with a regular one-without gears.

The old cycle, though it is in good condition, I want it be doubly sure that it works fine. After nearly 5 years, i rode a bicyle and checked whether things are working fine. To me, the cycle was bit awkward. Then I understood that it was because of such a long gap. I rode it to the cycle repair shop, Sigamani Stores, Nanganallur and asked him to check the vehicle. The mechanic suggested to change the Chain, free wheel, balls in the rear wheel, the cups in the handle bar. All these changes and labour costed Rs. 360/- Then additionally, i covered the seat with a new cover, got two side mirrors, a chain, and Pucher repairing equipents (a pair of levers, Bharath Solution, stickers, Scrubbers). All these put to gether it costed another Rs.220/-. I fitted one side mirror in each of our cycle. Then attached the seat cover.

I am yet to do the following:

-Attach rubber sheet to Mud-guard

-Tighten all the nuts and bolts

-Stick a reflector

That's it for the vehicle. The cycle is all set to go. But there are few other things that need to be purchased for the trip. i would detail what other things that we are taking with us in the next post...